


Awaken

by Chrawberry



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-06 18:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20511350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrawberry/pseuds/Chrawberry
Summary: When the fiends arrived, humanity lost all hope. Homes destroyed, families shattered. We were left with nothing. The beasts continued to terrorize the country, until the clan was established. The Henmong came into fruition to help combat these demonic creatures. They’re the only hope we have left.





	1. Prologue

Prologue

Unknown POV

Before the invasion, life was peaceful. People were smiling as they passed by each other on their daily commutes. Families would play in their front yards. Grass was green and skies were blue. We were happy. Once the fiends arrived, everything was hell. Any patch of soil was littered with dark gray ash. The skies, a black murky reflection on what the city below became. Neighborhoods where children once danced in the yards, were now filled with the unsettling feeling of death and depression. Civilization was no more. Everywhere we turned, black and red demons with piercing purple eyes towered over us, ready to consume what little pride and spirit we had left. There seemed to be no way to stop them. In an attempt to combat the attack, a clan was established; the Henmong. These people sought out young adults to train them to fight for the people of Korea. The founders of the clan, the eight masters, stopped at nothing to protect their beloved country. They sacrificed themselves to save what little they had left. They trained us into who we are.


	2. Journey

3rd person POV

“Oh come on hyung it’s finally today!” Hyunjin exclaimed. The young male excitedly bounced around the small and dirt riddled shack.  
The older male sat up from his sleeping position rather slowly, “Hyunjin I told you, we’ll go to the building after the sun rises. I don’t want to risk running into any more fiends, or worse, any looters.” Hyunjin looked at the older male with saddened eyes. He tilted his head slightly to the left to look out the window situated in front of him. His eyes instantly brightened and his slight frown turned into a toothy smile when he noticed the thin line of warm yellow rays cascading across the ground.  
“But Chan-hyung! The sun’s rising as we’re speaking! We have to go wake up Minho and Felix a-and Seungmin a-“ The younger male was hushed as Chan calmly raised his hand to silence the excited boy.  
“Hyunjin. Relax. We’re going to get there today, I promise you. But for now, let them rest. They were out later than usual scouting out a route for us.” Chan peered behind Hyunjin to look at the three people resting behind him, all tangled up together to keep warm through the tough night. He smiled as he laid back down, Hyunjin sitting down right beside him.  
“Hyung?”  
“Yes Jinnie?”  
“What kind of food do you think they’ll have there?”  
The older male chuckled. “I’m not sure. Enough to feed a whole football team”  
“In other words, you and Woojin-hyung,” Hyunjin smiled to himself for his dumb joke.  
Chan smiled up at him, “I guess you’re right. We did used to eat a lot before the fie-“ Chan was cut off by some rustling in the other corner of the room. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the now moving figure.“Ah. Good morning hyung” He said, slowly realizing it was just their friend Woojin.  
“Hyung!” Hyunjin screamed excitedly. Clearly not taking into consideration his sleeping friends. Chan rushed up to Hyunjin to cover his mouth to hopefully save the sleeping boys from the noise he was making, but it was too late. Low groans and mumbles came from the pile across from them.  
“Hyunjin what the fuck..? Why are you yelling…?” croaked a rather deep and accented voice. The owner of the voice rubbed his eyes and slowly stood up, making sure not to step on the two others slowly waking up.  
“I’m sorry Lixie..” Hyunjin spoke timidly, “I’m just really excited for today.” Felix’s eyes sprang open as he ran over to Hyunjin. His smile lighting up a thousand street corners as he realized that today was the day they’ve been waiting on for weeks.  
“HYUNJIN IM SO SORRY I COMPLETELY FORGOT TODAY’S RECRUITMENT DAY.” Felix shouted. If the other two weren’t awake before, they definitely were now. As Felix and Hyunjin danced around happily, the other boys tiredly rose to their feet.  
“Chan-hyung,” Minho stated sleepily, “Are we going to the Henmong school today?” Chan glanced at Minho and nodded his head with a thin grin on his face. Minho then began to smile too. Everyone glanced at the two boys hyping themselves up. This was a rare sight in modern day. No one ever seems to crack a smile. They were living in the moment. Until Seungmin spoke.  
“Yah! When are we leaving? Isn’t it at least a three-hour trip to the academy?” He sat up abruptly and slung his backpack over his shoulder harshly, clearly annoyed.  
“Chan-hyung said not until the sun came up.” Hyunjin whined. “But the sun is up already so can we just go already?” Hyunjin linked arms with Felix and began skipping around the room, proud of themselves for causing such an annoyance to the others. Chan straightened his jacket and disheveled his blonde hair. Taking in a big breath of air he said,  
“Fine. Everyone pack their shit. We’re going on a journey.”


	3. First Encounter

3rd person POV

All that could be seen in a 50 ft radius were large plumes of smoke, dust, and rubble from the buildings previously inhabiting the area. The group of six had started their journey, leaving behind their old home to hopefully save their future one. The trip was not easy though. The roads were a mixture of ash, dirt, and broken glass of the shattered buildings. Constant hills and valleys had to be crossed. There was no way around them. Because of this, they were growing ever more tired by the minute. Their legs ached, their backs were strained, and worse of all, their stomachs were empty. They didn’t have very much food left for the rest of their journey, which to the excited duo of Felix and Hyunjin, felt like forever. The two boys have been sulking and whining since the hour mark of the trek. The energy from the earlier morning had slowly vanished over time. Their moods quickly shifted from excited, to antsy. Two hours had passed and the other four boys were sick of it. 

“Chan~,” Felix whined softly. The older didn’t answer. “Chan?” Felix said slightly louder. The older ignored him again. Felix looked over to Hyunjin. Hyunjin looked back at Felix. They nodded their head and on the count of three they shouted in unison. “CHAN-HYUNG” The older stopped in his tracks. He took a deep breath and turned around.  
“Yes Felix?”   
“Are we almost there?” He pouted. “I’m hungry~,” Seungmin looked over to Minho, to which Minho rolled his eyes at the younger one’s actions.  
“Felix.” Seungmin piped up, “Do you see a large completely untouched building anywhere? Because I surely don’t.” He raised his voice. “We’re all tired. We’re all hungry. We understand you’re excited to go to the damn school but would you just shut the fuck up and let us walk in piece?” Seungmin looked around at everyone else, clearly all looking miserable. “Look around you Felix.” He yelled, “Do you think we want to be here? Do you really think we want to be out in this fucking beaming hot sun with no food and no water? No. We don’t. So please for the love of Christ do us a favor and zip your fu-” Seungmin was interrupted by a scream. But this scream was no ordinary scream. The sound of the shriek was so loud and scratchy that it was easily recognizable. The boys looked around in terror, not knowing what to do. They were frozen solid. They had no idea whether to run and hide, or to stay put.  
“Hyung? Was that a f-fiend?” Hyunjin quietly whispered out. Chan nodded and quietly reached into his pocket, pulling out a small 3-inch blade. When the echoes of the shriek faded. The boys relaxed their shoulders, multiple sighs emanated from the group. They stayed silent for a minute, Seungmin being the first to speak.  
“Thank goodness it’s gone. Let’s just get on-“ Seungmin was then cut off again by another scream. But this time, it was from Hyunjin. The boy shouted loudly when he noticed the petrifying black figure quickly flying their way. It’s jaws open and inch long fangs exposed. The boys scattered. Not knowing where or what to do, Chan ran out to fight the fiend, knife in hand. It continued at them with a blistering speed, ten-foot long wings forcefully flapping. As the fiend extending its claws to attack Chan, a large explosion collided with the demon, causing it’s focus to be shifted on a different figure.   
The boys had found places to hide; whether being behind rocks or in small ditches out of sight of the fiend. They were staring at the fight, not knowing what to do. Chan slowly narrowed his eyes to focus on the human-like figure several feet in front of them, now being targeted by the towering fiend. The mysterious figure whipped out a grapple hook, shooting it at a decaying tree several feet in front of them. As the figure zoomed closer, Chan got a good look at them, trying to distinguish who the character was. As the fighter glid overhead of Chan, he got a good glimpse of the elegant woman, who was saving their asses. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Chan stared at her. Her face was slightly covered with a mask and her silhouette shadowed by her large purple cape. The demon cried another painful shriek as it sped to the girl in the tree, snapping Chan out of his daze. As her feet collided with the tree, she pulled two pistols from under her cape. As she spun them in her hand, fire emitted from the barrels of the gun. She aimed her pistols at the fiend and fires a single large bullet, colliding with the demon in a similar explosion as the one from earlier. The fiend fell to the ground with a shriek, causing the girl in the tree to leap down and fire a finishing move to the fiend’s head. The bullet she fired was small, but the casing that fell from the gun was on fire. The fiend’s figure burned away in ash, leaving no trace of blood or a body.   
The boys stared in awe at the female before them. None of them had seen someone defeat a fiend before. They all slowly made their way out of their hiding spots, hoping to not startle the woman. Chan’s gaze grew even stronger when the female turned around to face them. Even though her face was halfway covered, her bright golden eyes shined into Chan’s soul, causing him to audibly gasp at her. She was gorgeous. Her hair, snow-white, was neatly tied in a bun with a jeweled hair pick, and her forehead covered by her side swept bangs. Her outfit was quite revealing. Her arms were covered in a purple latex-like fabric that matched the cape and the rest of her suit. Her chest and thighs were exposed and her lower legs were covered with purple thigh high boots. However, Chan paid no attention to her clothes, but rather focused so deeply on the sun-lit golden eyes of the figure in front of him. The female stared straight at him. Neither of them exchanging a word. Her gaze was captured however when a very excited Felix, grabbed her attention.  
“Wow you kicked that fiend’s ass, lady!” He shouted. She looked at him and kept a very still expression, the light in her eyes seeming to dim slightly.   
“Yeah,” Hyunjin croaked. His long black hair messy from the wind, “That was really badass.” The female shifted her gaze and held the same expression. Woojin took a step forward to the female, bowing to her politely.  
“Thank you for your help, miss. We wouldn’t be alive if not for you.” He smiled at her. She slightly nodded her head back at him. Taking one more glance at Chan, she disappeared. Fading into the air like a puff of dust, leaving the group stunned. Minho glanced at where she used to stand and noticed a gold piece of metal on the ground. He bent down to pick it up, gasping at what he saw.  
“What is it?” Seungmin asked. Minho turned the metal around to show the others. Two  
dragons swirled together to frame a symbol in the middle. The symbol read “훈련자” (trainer). The design of the emblem was easily recognizable for them. After realizing what the emblem meant, Hyunjin and Felix excitedly jumped around, holding onto each other for stability. The girl they had just met, was a trainer of the Henmong academy.


	4. Arrival

3rd person POV 

After the stir up with the trainer from Henmong and the fiend, the boys were instantly rejuvenated. Watching a fight of that caliber would energize anyone. Especially Hyunjin and Felix. After seeing a Henmong warrior fight in person, the two would simply not shut up about it.  
“Felix oh my goodness did you see when she hooked onto the tree” Hyunjin spoke loudly.  
“Yeah yeah yeah! And then when she went PEW PEW,” Felix shot his finger guns at Hyunjin, poorly replicating the fighting style of the warrior.  
“Then she went BOOM and shot the hell out of that fiend!” Hyunjin retorted.  
“Jinnie Jinnie Jinne! Ok what if she’s the one that trains us??”  
“THAT WOULD BE SO COOL!” The boys said in unison.   
The other members of the group were slightly smiling. Annoyed, but still entertained by the two’s excitement. Woojin was the first to speak up. “Felix, Hyunjin, you know we probably still have a while to go. We know you’re excited but we should probably just chill out a bit, alright? Save your energy for when we get there.” Woojin said calmly. The two boys looked at each other and slowly nodded.   
The group continued their slow pace to academy, all deep in their own conversations; except for one. Chan hadn’t spoken a word since the warrior left.   
He was too deep in his own thoughts:  
Who was she?   
Why did she stare at me the way she did?   
Her eyes were like the sun..  
She was beautiful..  
Chan was suddenly snapped back to attention by walking face-first a wall, falling flat on his back. At least… it felt like a wall?  
“What the..?” He mumbled. When he looked up, there was nothing there except for his friends all on the ground as well. Groans of discomfort were heard from all of them. Chan and Woojin slowly stood up and started to help the others.  
“Did we just get hit by… air?” Minho spoke up. The others looked around in pure confusion. They stood in place trying to process what happened, when they heard a low rumbling noise. Their eyes opened in shock, fearing the worst was about to appear again. They looked around the area for a place to hide, but no luck. They were standing in a barren field with nowhere to hide. The boys just grabbed onto each other super tight, shutting their eyes and braced for impact.  
When the rumbling stopped, the boys slowly opened their eyes. When they did, they gasped loudly. Their mouths agape as they scanned what the area had become. The patch of dust that used to reside before them was now home to a ginormous temple. Behind them sprouted a white cobblestone gate, guarded with 8-foot tall men, armed with swords, bows, and axes. Where they stood, the sand and dirt turned into a white marble as a large arched pathway appeared in front of them. The pathway held two small stone towers draped with banners, painted with the recurring insignia of the gold dragon. The pathway extended for several hundred more feet until it led up to the massive structure in the distance.   
The hexagon-shaped temple seemed to stand several hundred feet high. Walls made of a cherry-red mahagonny and adorned with small red and gold wooden pipes. Towering maroon columns wrapped in beautiful golden dragons, laced the outer corners of the temple. The temple was topped off with hundreds of thousands of jade-green shingles, creating several overhangs with wooden wave patterns gracing the edges. A delicate golden phoenix adorned the top of the temple, representing strength in these troubled times. The entrance was was framed with two large red hanging columns. Matching the other columns, they were also decorated with swirling golden dragons, heads facing each other as they glanced over the opening. Finally, the floating columns were held together by a massive emblem. The emblem surrounded by two more golden dragons, as the jade backing shined through.  
Hyunjin and Felix’s faces were plastered with extremely large grins as the group started to slowly inch forward. Once fully inside the gate, the six boys had no idea where to look. Whether it be the sudden cavern that cascaded below the pathway, the gorgeous temple in front of them, or the small girl in a blue robe speeding towards them.  
“Hey there!” The girl shouted from halfway across the bridge. The boys stared at her in confusion as she continued to speed down their way. When she finally caught up to them, she was out of breath.  
“Hello. You. Must. Be. The. New. Recruits?” she said between breaths. She finally propped her head back up, swiped her red and purple hair out of her face, and looked up at the boys. Her eyes in the shape of crescent moons as smiled up at them. Hyunjin and Felix enthusiastically nodded their heads as the others just slightly followed along.   
“Well it’s a pleasure to greet you! I’m Ixora! And welcome to the Henmong Academy!”


	5. Henmong Academy

3rd person POV

Ixora led the boys over the large marble pathway leading to the entrance of the temple. As they were walking, she began to talk about how the area was constructed. “Well you see,” she began, “The temple has been here for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Korea. It used to be the only place of worship for miles. People would walk for days or even weeks just to pray here. Isn’t it truly magical?” She turned back around to the boys, smiling ear to ear. The boys found her knowledge and enthusiasm endearing, but one particular member of the group had his full attention on her. Minho had been less than enthralled to go on this journey, but meeting Ixora might have made the trip worth it. He had hardly met her yet he was already head over heels for her. When Ixora darted her eyes over to him, face still plastered in that adorable smile, Minho thought he could faint right then and there.  
On the opposite spectrum however, there was one person who seemed to have a different weight on his shoulders. After Ixora turned around and continued to educate the group, Minho shifted his gaze over at Woojin. His expression was unreadable.   
“Hyung?” Minho whispered to him. “Is something bothering you?”  
Woojin shook his head as he swallowed the invisible lump in his throat. “Just nervous.” He said dryly. The younger male narrowed his eyes. He didn’t seem to buy Woojin’s story but shook it off anyway, he knew he’d be able to pry it out of him later. Minho shifted his attention back to the front of the group, tuning his ears back to Ixora’s colorful display of happiness.  
Ixora continued, “After the invasion began, the temple’s guardians, the eight masters, decided to convert the once place of worship, into an elite school to help defeat the cause of this nightmare.” Felix turned his head towards her and asked, “Ixora, do the eight masters live here?”  
The girl chuckled. “Oh heavens no. The eight masters bravely sacrificed themselves in order to keep the temple in the beautiful condition it is today. Their spirits weave and flow throughout everything you see here. They’re the reason the temple was invisible to you all. “ The boys’ eyes widened. “To outsiders, this place doesn’t exist. The only reason people discover the academy is by a visit from one of the eight masters. When the masters set their eyes on an individual with promise, they place a thought in their mind of the symbol of Henmong, causing those people, like you all, to come and visit us.”  
Hyunjin raised his eyebrow at her, “Then how did you know we were coming?”  
Ixora stopped and her tracks and smiled at the tall boy, “I didn’t.” She shrugged and giggled. The group looked at her confusingly. “I didn’t know until juuuuust a few minutes ago. The eight masters communicate with the big boss lady, then she tells us. ‘Us’ being the trainers of the academy. Did I mention I was a trainer? Well yeah, I’m one of those.” Ixora laughed loudly, turned around and skipped quickly to the end of the bridge. The other boys picked up their pace behind her. Once they reached the end of the path, their eyes traveled up. Scanning the large mahogany building directly in front of them.  
“Wow,” Chan breathed out. His eyes followed every fine and intricate detail. He was fascinated by the sheer amount of beauty was enveloped in the temple. The boys continued to stare at the archway in front of them. The emblem being held together by the two dragon-laced columns was now easier to read. The jade oval being surrounded by the two dragons read “힌몽” (Henmong) in the very center of the piece. Surrounding the outer edge of the jade stone were eight names, presumably the names of the eight masters. Ixora looked at the awe-struck boys and snapped them out of their gaze with a loud clap.  
“I think it’s about time we head inside. Once we’re in, I’ll be happy to give you a tour of the place!” Ixora said. She walked over to the large ruby and gold-encrusted gate and gave it a heavy knock. When the large doors started to open, Ixora turned around to face the group. The boys all exchanged looks with each other. Felix and Hyunjin held onto each other and shook in excitement and anticipation. Seungmin, Minho, and Woojin, all had nervous eyes, but behind their glares burned three different torches of flame. They didn’t show it, but they were just as eager as Felix and Hyunjin to discover their hidden potential. And lastly, Chan held an expression of uncertainty. He wasn’t sure if he would truly become a powerful warrior like he had always wished for himself. He was also uncertain about the future that lay ahead. He was excited, sure, but the doubts he had in his mind clouded that excitement. He simply wasn’t sure how to feel. Distracted by the thoughts running through his mind, he didn’t notice the sharp, piercing gaze Ixora was giving him. She stared at him with a gaze of sympathy, but the gaze was also laced with a spark of excitement. She sensed Chan’s true potential and she was ready for him to find it. She was ready for all of the boys to find their warrior spirit. She was dragged out of the thought when the gates fully opened, revealing the inside of the temple.  
“Well,” she said. “Let’s make you into warriors, shall we?”


	6. Tour

3rd Person POV

Ixora led the six boys through the large entrance way and into the main clearing of the temple. The group scanned their surroundings, mouths agape in awe. The inside of the temple seemed to coincide with the beautiful outer walls of the building. The flooring was a light-gray marble, with light gold flakes speckled throughout. The ceiling seemed to extend for miles, only to be stopped by an impressive antique golden chandelier. The walls of the building were lined by various floors, connected together by large staircases and the occasional walkway-bridge. Each floor gazed off into the circular floor-plan, leaving the entire area to be spacious.  
“So this is our main lobby,” Ixora began, “Not including this floor, there are fifteen floors total of the temple. Each floor is assigned to a different class, which you’ll learn more about soon. Each floor holds the ‘dorms’. ‘Dorms’ in air-quotes because I don’t know what else to call them. So twelve of the floors are dedicated to holding all you rascals, while also having a small practice room for just your class.” Ixora paused and looked at a large map of the temple, showing each floor and what it’s purpose holds. “If you’re wondering what the other three floors are, well one of the three is dedicated to us trainers. We have a meeting room, a big office, and of course our rooms.” She pointed to the next level. “This floor is just another hangout floor. It’s kinda under construction because some dumbass trainees decided to tear it up, and lets just say, Big Boss Lady wasn’t too pleased with them.” She paused for a moment, “AaaaandthislastfloorisforthebossandIwouldstayveryfarawaybecauseshedoesn’tlikenewpeopleandshedoesn’tlikeherspaceinvadedandshewillhurtyouifyougoonherfloorwithoutpermission.” Ixora took in a sharp breath. The boys slightly giggling at the girl’s fast pace.  
“Sorry,” Ixora mumbled, “The Boss doesn’t like us mentioning her level. Everyone has access to it so I’m ‘by contract’ supposed to tell you about it. But seriously, don’t go on her floor unless she herself tells you too. One time we had a dude get thrown off her balcony because he was lost and roamed up onto her floor. She’s that strict.”  
The boys’ eyes widened. Who was this scary lady? And does she really have the authority to hold a whole level to herself?  
Ixora continued showing the boys around, occasionally stopping at some of the vendors on the lobby to get them familiarized with the environment. All of the members were taking in the atmosphere but were interrupted by a frightened Ixora. The girl made a quiet yelp as she stared at the space in front of her. The boys stared at her confused. She violently whipper her head around in multiple directions before finally grasping onto what seemed like nothing.  
She scoffed, “Jisung! What have I told you about going into stealth when I’m on a tour!” The “air” that she had a grip on slowly started to materialize into a human. The boy, now known to the group as Jisung, was in a hysterical laughing fit over have scaring the girl. He shook out of her grasp, and swiped his dark blue hair. “You should have seen your face!” Jisung cackled, “You always look so damn cute when you’re scared!”  
Ixora swung her fist at him. The boy easily grabbed her small fist. “Ixxie you’re gonna have to try harder than that to punch me. There’s a reason I’m the head Assassin.”  
Ixora huffed, “You’re so fucking obnoxious! Why is it that you can get away with doing all this shit and Lucoa says nothing to you!”  
Jisung yelled back, “Yeah? She doesn’t get onto you either! If any of the other Summoners had their cats running around her floor, she’d kill the bitches!”  
Some of the boys tilted their head at the unknown name. Ixora screamed, “Why do you always have to argue with me!? You’re a pain in my ass all the damn time! I don’t know why Lucoa ever had feelings for you. I’d blow my brains out if I ever had to be intimate with you.” Ixora gagged at her comment, causing the group to smile at the two’s sibling-like bickering.  
“Ixxie, you know that I am one sexy casanova. Why do you think all the new trainees beg Lucoa to be in my training program. They all wanna get close to me.” Jisung wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to get even angrier.  
“GODDAMMIT JISUNG I SWEAR ONE OF THESE DAYS I'M GONNA TAKE THAT LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT DAGGER OF YOURS AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR-” Ixora was interrupted by a large cough behind them. Ixora and Jisung separated their heated gazes from each other and looked at the figure staring at them. Their faces both brightened at the figure in front of them. The only part of the figure that was visible to the group of boys, was the peak of a head crowned with soft white hair.  
“Cocoa!” Ixora yelled as she jumped into the arms of the woman ahead. The once annoyed glare was replaced with a small smile as she reciprocated the hug.  
Jisung stared at the two girls, and then shifted a glance back at the group. Jisung smirked slightly at the six boys.  
“You must be the new recruit’s Boss was talkin’ about eh?” Jisung turned his head to Lucoa. “LuLu baby, which ones am I takin’ huh?” Lucoa set down Ixora and sauntered over to Jisung, her full figure coming into sight. When the boys placed their eyes on her, their eyes grew double in size. Chan audibly gasped at the woman in front of them. She was the same woman as before. But unlike last time, her face was uncovered and decorated with beautiful rose-red lips. Her purple latex outfit now replaced with a similar robe to Ixora and Jisung, except hers was a deep red shade with gold accents and a golden dragon on the left sleeve matching with the two other trainers standing before them.  
Felix was the first to speak out, “You’re the gun lady from earlier! Y-you were the one who saved us from the fiend!” Lucoa’s slight smile formed into a thin line.  
“Yeah that was me. You’re welcome by the way,” she harshly spat at him. Felix’s smile dropped. Chan took a bold step forward and finally spoke to her, “Hey who do you think you are talking to him like that? He was just excited to see you again? He’s really looking forward to training here.”  
Lucoa glared at him out of the corner of her eyes. Jisung and Ixora looked at each other and then dashed in front of Chan, seemingly to protect him from Lucoa.  
“Lucoa,” Jisung said sternly. “Don’t do this now.”  
Lucoa shifted her harsh gaze to Jisung. “Jisung. Don’t get involved with shit that has nothing to do with you.” She glared back at Chan and took a step forward, slightly pressing her finger on his chest. “Listen, you little twerp. As long as you’re in this temple, you better not speak to me like that again. I’m in charge of your fucking future, keep that in mind.” Her golden eyes shooting daggers into his chocolate-brown ones.  
Chan took another step forward, challenging her, “And what’s a bitch like you going to do about it?”  
Lucoa removed her finger from his chest and started to laugh hysterically. “You’re really dogging up to me?? You?? HA! Ixxie, Ji, get a load of this fucking waste of space.” She spat the last four words out particularly repulsive. The five boys behind Chan, particularly Felix cowered back. This didn’t seem like the woman they saw earlier. All of the admiring thoughts Chan once held for her vanished in an instant. He was utterly disgusted at her behavior.  
Lucoa turned her back to the group and walked back to where she came from, leaving behind one last statement. “Welcome to the Henmong Academy, you’re in for one hell of a time.”  
The group remained silent until the vicious woman fully walked away. Jisung and Ixora bowed to the boys.  
“We’re sorry for her behavior,” Ixora said.  
“She’s a very… interesting character,” Jisung quietly said. They both brought their heads back up.  
Ixora smiled slightly. “She’ll warm up to you, we promise. She was like that with us when we all first met.”  
Seungmin spoke for the group, “Who is she exactly? She talks high and mighty for someone who’s just a trainer.”  
Jisung raised an eyebrow at the boy. “Oh Lucoa’s no ordinary trainer. She’s the weaponmaster. She assigns everyone’s class. She also happens to be our boss, and now, yours.” Jisung laughed and looked a now frightened Chan. He walked over and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. “You done fucked up boyo. You just made an enemy out of the one person who won’t hesitate to blow your fuckin’ brains out. Good luck!” He laughed once more and vanished into thin air, leaving behind a small cloud of white lotus petals.  
Ixora stared at Chan and the others with sympathy. “Alrighty then… let’s uh… continue the tour ok?”


	8. Flustered

3rd person POV

Hours had passed since the group encountered Lucoa. They had trekked the entire building, floor after floor. Their feet were aching and their stomachs were rumbling. All of the boys were trudging slowly behind Ixora. Most of the group was silent, all except for a whiny Hyunjin.

“Hey Ixora?” The mullet-haired boy croaked. “Are we almost done? We hadn’t eaten since we left for our trip here.”

Ixora stopped and turned around to face him. “Well why didn’t you say anything earlier? We gotta get you boys fed!” 

The small girl ran forward to an open area of the walkway. She snapped her fingers and a bright light flashed before them. When the light faded there was a small circle on the ground surrounded by small symbols. Ixora looked towards the boys and motioned them over.

“I guess this is a good time to teach you boys about the easy way we travel from floor to floor here.” The boys exchanged confused glances. Ixora giggled at their behavior.

Ixora continued, “This here is a dragon pulse. They’re what we in the Henmong use to travel. We can use these babies anywhere. Just snap, and they’ll appear. At some places outside of the temple, like campsites or our allies cities, there will already be a summoned dragon pulse.” She pauses and looked around on the boys, locking gazes with Minho in the process. She walks over to him and grabs his wrist gently.

Minho’s eyes widened and a tint of pink rushed to his cheeks from the sudden contact. “H-hey! Wh-what are you doing?” He spoke nervously.

Ixora giggled at his shyness and slid her hand down from his wrist, to the boy’s hand, interlocking their fingers. Minho’s face turned into a deep red as his eyes darted to their now intertwined hands. 

“I’m gonna teach you how to ride a dragon pulse, silly.” She happily answered. The girl stared at him with a large smile. Minho couldn’t help but giggle at how cute she looked. 

“O-okay.” He sheepishly spoke.

Chan, Seungmin, Felix, and Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh at how obviously flustered Minho was. Woojin on the other hand kept a very straight face. His eyes glued to Ixora’s side profile as she led Minho to the dragon pulse.

When the two made their way to the spot, Ixora let go of Minho’s hand, and stepped outside of the circle. Ixora loudly clapped to grab everyone’s attention.

“Now,” she began. “Dragon pulses are very easy to use. You may get a little sick while using them, but you’ll get used to it after a while.” She shuffled her position behind Minho, grabbing onto his waist and slightly shifting him to the left.

Minho’s face was practically steaming because of how red he was from her touch. Minho started nervously shaking, not knowing if he should move or not. Ixora sensed his nervousness and moved her hands from his waist to his shoulders.

“Relax.” She calmly whispered. “This isn’t going to hurt you. You’ll make it one piece, I promise.” 

Minho turned his head slightly to hear her better hear what she was saying.

“It’s Minho, right? Lee Minho?” She asked him quietly, not wanting to startle him again.

Minho slowly nodded. “Y-yes. That’s me.” He whispered.

Ixora smiled. She removed her hands from his waist and walked back in front of him. She giggled and faced him, eyes meeting his.

“Well Minho, thank you for helping me with this demonstration. I’ll be sure to return the favor later.” She smiled at him once again, causing Minho to smile back. 

She continued speaking, still facing Minho but with a voice loud enough for the group to hear. “Now what you’re gonna want to do is, make a large circle with your dominant arm. Once you connect the circle in the air, hold your index and middle finger together, to the center of your lips. Then, blow. Got it?”

Minho nodded and Ixora stepped back. She left her gaze on him and flashed him two thumbs up and a full-toothed smile. Minho couldn’t help but smile in adoration.

He took a large breath and began the routine. He made his hand around in a circle and with a swift blow, he vanished with a flash of light.

The boys gasped in shock and ran over to where Minho was previously standing.

Felix shouted, “That was so cool Ixora! Can I go next?”

Hyunjin pushed the Australian boy out of the way “No! Me me me me me! Me next.”

The boys continued to beg and plead Ixora but her eyes were focused on someone else; Woojin. The boy had not seemed too excited ever since they arrived. The boy looked over in her direction and caught her glance. She narrowed her eyes and focused on the blonde-haired individual. As she walked closer to him, she gasped.

“W-w-woobear?” She timidly spoke.

Woojin looked down at her and slightly smiled, eyes slightly watery. “Hey Ixxie. Long time no see, huh?”


End file.
